The Calories in Vegetables

Compared to the calories in the Standard American Diet (SAD), the
calories in vegetables are insignificant. If you pile your plate high
with broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and kale, you still won't take in
enough vegetable calories to meet your basic calorie needs.
See the two tables below for the calorie count of 49 different
vegetables.

Calories By Weight = Calorie
Density

In the two charts below, we compare the calories per
ounce, and not the calories per
serving, because serving sizes can vary.

We compare vegetable calories by weight to find the calorie density of
these foods.

As you read the chart, remember that a good goal for a weight loss plan
is to keep the calorie density of your diet around 35 calories
per ounce.

Alphabetical List Of Vegetables

Vegetables

Calories
Per Ounce

Vegetables

Calories
Per Ounce

artichokes

15

lettuce

5

asparagus

6

mustard
greens

4

bamboo
shoots

3

nopales

4

beet
greens

8

okra

6

beets

12

onions

11

broccoli

10

palm
hearts

8

broccoli
rabe

9

parsnips

20

brussels
sprouts

10

*peas
(a legume)

22

cabbage,
green

7

peppers,
green

6

cabbage,
red

9

peppers,
red

9

carrots

12

potatoes

24

cauliflower

7

pumpkin

6

celeriac

12

radish

5

celery

5

rutabaga

11

chard

6

spinach

7

collard
greens

7

squash,
summer

6

*corn
(a grain)

23

squash,
winter

10

cucumber

4

sweet
potato

24

eggplant

10

taro

40

endive

5

tomato

5

fennel

9

turnip
greens

6

green
beans

10

turnips

6

kale

8

watercress

3

kohlrabi

8

yams

33

leeks

9

*We listed corn and peas with the vegetables because so many people
think of them as "vegetable" side dishes. However, they are
not
really vegetables. Corn is a grain, and peas are legumes.

As you study the first chart, you will discover that
every vegetable on the list (except for taro)
easily meets our weight
loss guidelines. That means we can eat as many of these foods as we
want and we will still lose weight. For a better picture, the next
chart sorts the calories in vegetables by calorie density.

List of Vegetables By Calorie
Density

Vegetables

Calories
Per Ounce

Vegetables

Calories
Per Ounce

bamboo
shoots

3

palm
hearts

8

watercress

3

broccoli
rabe

9

cucumber

4

cabbage,
red

9

mustard
greens

4

fennel

9

nopales

4

leeks

9

celery

5

peppers,
red

9

endive

5

broccoli

10

lettuce

5

brussels
sprouts

10

radish

5

eggplant

10

tomato

5

green
beans

10

asparagus

6

squash,
winter

10

chard

6

onions

11

okra

6

rutabaga

11

peppers,
green

6

beets

12

pumpkin

6

carrots

12

squash,
summer

6

celeriac

12

turnip
greens

6

artichokes

15

turnips

6

parsnips

20

cabbage,
green

7

peas
(a legume)

22

cauliflower

7

corn
(a grain)

23

collard
greens

7

potatoes

24

spinach

7

sweet
potato

24

beet
greens

8

yams

33

kale

8

taro

40

kohlrabi

8

So what does this second list of vegetables tell us? Leafy greens and
other green vegetables win the
weight loss prize. They
are loaded with nutrients and contain very few calories. However, their calorie density is
actually too low to be a major source of calories. For
example, look at this picture:

This huge plate of vegetables contains only 105 calories. To make them
yummy, we made our
vegan Ranch Dressing recipe
and drizzled 1 1/2 ounces of it over the veggies. That added another 76
calories. That is a total of only 181 calories in the entire meal,
barely enough to sustain a flea. The calories in vegetables like these
are just too low.

This is where the starchy vegetables, like
potatoes, sweet
potatoes, and yams, play an important role in our meal plan. They
have a higher calorie density than the green
vegetables, but
they are still fine for weight
loss. These starchy vegetable calories will satisfy our
hunger and provide the fuel we need to run our bodies. Eat your
starches without guilt!

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